THREADS OF DESTINY
by Wishing4u
Summary: AU- Syaoran is a cruel emperor that only use women as 'playthings' and Sakura is a girl thats in love but now separated from her lover because of the emperor's drafts and becomes a servant to the emperor. what will happen? S+S?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS  
  
AN: this story takes place in ancient China. There are martial arts but no magic. Syaoran is 19 years old and Sakura is 16. Aki is a made up character.  
  
  
  
Threads of Destiny- Chapter One  
  
Flashback:  
  
Pink, cherry blossom petals danced in the gentle zephyr. They swirled in every direction. Sakura  
  
wore her hair in a loose braid, strands of her auburn hair falling across her face. She wore her  
  
best robe, a red background and golden bamboo leaves embroidering it. Her family was poor  
  
and she had worked so hard to pay for it.  
  
She leaned against the cherry blossom tree and put her head on his strong chest.  
  
"Aki.." Sakura's voice trailed off  
  
"hmmmm.?"  
  
Sakura looked at the strong man next to her. He had blond hair and blue eyes. Sakura's voice  
  
quivered as she looked into the blue eyes that she loved so much.  
  
" this is our last day together."  
  
Aki sighed and replied,  
  
"no Sakura-chan. I promise I will come find you!"  
  
Sakura's emerald eyes wavered with sadness yet with a tiny light of hope.  
  
"Demo. Aki it's too dangerous! Anyone that rebels against the emperor.." Sakura couldn't utter  
  
the next words as tears started to well in her eyes.  
  
Aki held Sakura's hand and slipped a small jade pendant into her hand. Sakura looked at it and  
  
clutched it tightly.  
  
Aki held Sakura's waist and lifted up her chin.  
  
"I love you Sakura Kinomoto." These were the last words before Aki gave Sakura a gentle kiss.  
  
End flashback  
  
Sakura sighed as she stood on the carved stone bridge gazing at the water. She held the jade pendant tightly as she thought,  
  
'Aki. where are you? I miss you so much..' Sakura had been drafted because of her beauty. Every 5 years, the emperor drafted women that passed a test of beauty and arts made by his advisors and were made to serve him in his imperial palace. Hundreds of women were usually picked, and many would never even see the emperor in their lifetime. They were also locked in the palace the rest of their lives. Although this was an advantage to some people, because they were poor and now were provided with food and shelter, others like Sakura would never be able to see their loved ones again. A sudden cold voice cut through her thoughts.  
  
"WHO'S THERE?"  
  
Syaoran POV  
  
Syaoran's mind was stressed from the political affairs and laid in his bed wide awake. His father had died and he had to take the responsibilities of emperor since he was 16. He was cruel and unwavering in his decisions. He also was cruel to women and only used them as 'playthings' and disposed of them when they were useless. Perhaps he was hated and feared by many people but he kept his kingdom strict and orderly.  
  
Syaoran sighed in frustration. It was no use trying to fall asleep. Syaoran got up and decided to take a walk in the garden. His favorite place was the stone bridge at night. He saw a slim shadow on the bridge. Curious, he neared the bridge.  
  
She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. It seemed that he was in a dream rather than reality. She wore a plain, flowing, white silk robe that gently danced in the warm summer night's breeze. Her long hair flowed a little past her waist, and the silver moonlight created a soft, white, halo around her.  
  
For a few moments he couldn't speak, and only admired her beauty. Finally finding his voice,  
  
"WHO'S THERE?"  
  
The figure instantly turned and met Syaoran's eyes for only about a second before turning and running away as quickly as she could.  
  
From what Syaoran could make out in the dark, he could only see and remember her sad emerald green eyes.  
  
"wait!" Syaoran yelled. But the figure didn't look back and quickly disappeared into the darkness.  
  
Syaoran sighed and walked back to his room. Finally feeling drowsy, he fell into a deep sleep dreaming of a beautiful angel with emerald green eyes.  
  
  
  
AN: sooooooo? How was it? Tell me what you think! Comments? Questions? Loved it hate it? Should I continue or not? *Will update asap if I get over 10 reviews!* wahaha is it gonna be S+S??? 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS u_u  
  
AN: Thanks so much for the 12 reviews I got!!!! I hope u enjoy the second chap!!! ^^ Meiling, Tomoyo, and Rika are 18. Chiharu and Naoko are 17. remember that Sakura's 16 and Syaoran's 19!  
THREADS OF DESTINY: chapter 2:  
  
By: Wish  
*Emperor's Palace*  
  
Sakura kneeled on the thick red carpet in a large and ornately decorated room. Around her, kneeled 200 other girls, waiting to be assigned their duties.  
  
"Sakura Kinomoto!"  
  
Hearing her name called, Sakura stood up, and made her way to the front slowly, her knees were numb from kneeling so long.  
  
"hai?" Sakura quietly said without looking at the advisor.  
  
The emperor's advisor's eyes scanned Sakura's body for a few seconds and said to the others advisors around him, ,  
  
"hmm. she has a good build, not fat but very graceful and petite."  
  
the advisor beside him agreed,  
  
"yes. her hair is also lighter than many peoples', very different.."  
  
the first advisor placed a finger under Sakura's chin and lifted her head up so he could see her face.  
  
The advisor's eye's widened, he had never seen such a beautiful face. The girl's skin was a creamy color and very smooth. But what surprised him the most were her eyes. They were a dark pine colored green. Not only was the color beautiful, but they seem sad, and mysterious.  
  
"She's definitely different! What do you think ?" the first advisor said to the second.  
  
"hmmm. I think she should be perfect for serving the Emperor."  
  
"Yes I agree.well then Sakura Kinomoto, it has been decided. You will be serving the emperor." The first advisor said as he handed Sakura a pile of her supplies and needs.  
  
"You will be going with Tomoyo, Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika to the emperor's palace. It is a great honor to serve the emperor, and be happy that you are the lucky ones that have been chosen!"  
  
Sakura gave a weak smile but only thought of Aki  
*Syaoran's Study Room*  
  
"Syaorannnnnnnnnnn?" a girl with dark red eyes and black hair appeared and put her arms around his neck, and turned Syaoran's face towards her and pulled him into a passionate kiss.  
  
Syaoran gave a smirk, inwardly laughing at how easy women were to get, and kissed back, licking her lips and finally gaining access to her mouth. Their tongues played with each other until finally they ran out of breath.  
  
Meiling's eyes were full of love, but Syaoran's eyes were glazed over like ice, and only showed cruelty and desire for something else...  
  
'women are so useless except for pleasures in bed.' Syaoran thought to himself as a smirk appeared on his face. . "Syaoran!! Guess what?! It will be only a matter of months before we get married!"  
  
Syaoran only shrugged in indifference and licked his lips. He pushed Meiling against the wall and began kissing her passionately. Of course Meiling didn't reject. His kissed trailed down her neck as Meiling moaned in pleasure. She played with his chocolate colored hair, while he tugged down her red robe.  
  
"Emperor!"  
  
Both people groaned in frustration at the interruption, but quickly calmed down so it looked like nothing happened.  
  
"We'll continue this later, Meiling," Syaoran gave a smirk. "But right now it is best you go." Syaoran finished sternly.  
  
Meiling gave Syaoran one last peck on the cheek and quickly left through a back door.  
  
"Yes, Wei come in please." Syaoran said icily.  
  
"Your majesty!" Wei said as he bowed down.  
  
"You may rise."  
  
Wei rose and said,  
  
"Your new servants have come. Let me introduce you to them." Five girls came into the room and together they kneeled on the ground and in unison said,  
  
"Your majesty."  
  
Wei introduced them,  
  
"This is Tomoyo, Rika, Chiharu, Naoko, and Sakura."  
  
Syaoran inwardly smirked as he gazed over each of the new servants. Each of them was more beautiful than the other. But something caught his eyes. A glimpse of emerald colored green. The last girl was looking down at the carpet. Syaoran could only see a glimpse of her eyes. The color was familiar.  
  
"Sakura is it?" Syaoran said Hearing her name being called, Sakura quickly looked up only to lock eye contact with the same amber colored orbs she had seen yesterday night. Her face paled slightly and quietly said,  
  
"Yes, your majesty?"  
  
Syaoran was equally as surprised, if not more. It was the girl from last night! She was beautiful indeed. Syaoran thought.  
  
"In the future I hope you will look at me instead of the ground" Syaoran said coldly.  
  
Sakura blushed but nodded.  
  
"You are all dismissed, Wei you have done your job well. I should expect them with perfect training today."  
  
"Yes, your majesty." Wei said as all of them got up and exited the room. No one noticed when Syaoran held a yearning gaze towards Sakura.  
  
Syaoran smirked at the thoughts in his head.  
  
*Kitchen*  
  
"Now all of you, you all each have individual jobs to do! If you finish you are allowed to have free time for yourself. Don't go near princess Meiling's room; she has a very hot temper towards girls who serve the emperor personally. Chiharu, you must go change and clean the emperor's room, Tomoyo and Sakura, you will be in charge of the emperor's dinner. Make sure the food is done by when the sun sets. The food also must not be cold, and remember to make the tea also! Rika and Naoko, you will be washing the emperor's clothes. Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika, make sure you go help Tomoyo and Sakura after you all are done. Everything must all be done by sunset! So all of you get to work!"  
  
Everyone went to where they were supposed to be.  
  
After working together for 15 minutes Sakura and Tomoyo were already very good friends. They talked while they worked and both were not as sad about leaving their home. Soon the time passed and by sunset they had cooked delicious foods and had a great time while doing it.  
  
"Great job Sakura and Tomoyo!" Wei said approvingly.  
  
Both girls were smiling happily.  
  
"Now we need to bring the emperor his food, well his tea first of course." Wei paused,  
  
"Sakura, you will be the first to bring the emperor his tea."  
  
"What? Please no! I get really nervous-"  
  
But Sakura was cut off,  
  
"No excuses Sakura! You are going to have to serve the emperor sometime! Remember not to drop anything! That will lead to severe punishment, even getting your head cut off!"  
  
Sakura went pale as she thought, 'that was really comforting.'  
  
Holding the tray of tea in her hands, she stiffly walked into the emperor's room.  
  
* Emperor's Room*  
  
Syaoran watched Sakura intently as she nervously walked with the tray. Syaoran's lips curved up into a smirk. He inwardly laughed at her nervousness. Her knuckles were white from holding the tray so tightly, her face was pale, and her walk was rigid.  
  
Unaware of a fold in the thick carpet, Sakura suddenly tripped and the tray flew forward towards Syaoran, as Sakura fell to the ground. She shut her eyes waiting for the sound of the tea and tray smash in to the emperor's face.  
  
But Syaoran's years and years of training had increased his agility. Very quickly, he grabbed the teapot from the air with one hand and dodged the tea, and grabbed the teacup. He then spun around and caught the liquid in the teacup and placed everything down.  
  
Sakura first looked on with awe, but once she realized what she had done, she kneeled on the floor, saying,  
  
"Please for give me your majesty! I'm sorry! It won't happen ever again!"  
  
Syaoran scowled at the Sakura, banged his fist on the table and bellowed,  
  
"You have attempted to hurt the emperor!! Do you understand the punishment for that?"  
  
Sakura winced at the slam of Syaoran's fist, and meekly gave a nod.  
  
Syaoran took pity of the girl, but it did not free her from a punishment, for he was a feared and cruel emperor with a heart like stone."  
  
"I am in a good mood today so I will give you a lighter punishment than death. Guards! She has attempted to hurt your emperor. Bestow on her the whip punishment!"  
  
Sakura paled a few shades but her emerald eyes glinted with courage. Syaoran did not miss the bravery in her eyes and silently admired her for a moment.  
  
The guards roughly held her and dragged her away.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
AN: so how'd you guys like it? Good? Bad? Review please! I already have a part of the next chapter. What happens to Sakura? The next chapter will contain so S+S fluff hehe. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS *sniff u_u  
  
AN: YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!! ^_________________^ thanks for all your reviews soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! They really make an author's day much better!!! Thanks again!!!  
Threads of Destiny: chapter 3  
  
By: Wish  
*Dungeon*  
  
a creak of the rusty metal door stirred the guard from his pleasant dream. He groaned as he looked up to see who it was that had barged into the dungeon this late at night. Instantly, his eyes widened and his face paled as he instantly bowed down and stuttered,  
  
"Your Majesty!"  
  
Syaoran's amber eyes glinted with annoyance at the guard's lack of responsibility and coldly replied,  
  
"I didn't realize that I had hired pigs for guards."  
  
The guard reddened in embarrassment.  
  
"I'm sorry your highness! It won't happen ever again!"  
  
Syaoran gave a cold smile and nodded his head as a signal for the guard to rise.  
  
"Now. where is the girl that had been punished?"  
  
the guard scurried up and said,  
  
"the girl, she's here. Please follow me." The guard led Syaoran to a particular cell.  
  
Inside was Sakura. Sakura's hands were tied in metal buckles that scraped her delicate skin. Her feet were tied with thick rope and her clothes were stained with streaks of her own blood. Her eyes were closed and a river of dry tears was seen on her cheeks. Her body was limp as she had fallen into an abyss of darkness.  
  
Syaoran felt a slight feeling of pity as he looked at the sight, but then thought,  
  
'who cares? It was her own fault anyways. Who told her to be so clumsy.'  
  
"Take her down now." Syaoran said in a commanding and emotionless voice. The guard instantly obeyed and released Sakura from the bindings.  
  
Syaoran carried Sakura's limp body as he left the dungeon.  
  
He walked in a few minutes of silence before he felt the body he was holding stir. Sakura opened her eyes and blinked a few times to adjust her sight. She wasn't completely awake and definitely not thinking that well.  
  
"Aki?? Is that you?" Sakura whispered in a small voice. "Are you here to save me?" Sakura's voice gave a hint of hope.  
  
Syaoran looked down at Sakura, inwardly surprised. 'Aki? Who was Aki?' but hearing the small hint of hope in Sakura's voice, he couldn't help but dumbly reply,  
  
"Yes Sakura, I'm here to save you."  
  
At these words Sakura's green eyes welled with tears of joy and happily closed her eyes as she tilted her head up.  
  
Syaoran looked at Sakura in his arms. His face came closer and closer until their lips finally met.  
  
The kiss was so pure and simple, it was only a mere brush of the lips, but it gave a kind of warmth that filled Syaoran's entire body.  
  
*In Sakura's Bedroom*  
  
the morning rays of sunlight gently awakened Sakura from her sleep. Her entire body ached with pain but she managed to get up. She sighed in disappointment as she looked at her surroundings, her dream didn't come true.  
  
It was strange. it seemed so real. She had dreamed that Aki had come to rescue her, but Aki somehow didn't seem like Aki.she couldn't remember anything. except for the kiss. She had never felt anything like it. Even in the real kisses that she and Aki shared. Sakura sighed again slightly happy and another side of her was disappointed as she blushed slightly.  
  
"Sakura- Chan! You should be resting! Your wounds won't get better if you keep moving around." Tomoyo's worried voice interrupted her thoughts. Tomoyo then hurriedly made Sakura sit back down in bed and fed her her healing medicine.  
  
Sakura smiled at Tomoyo's kindness.  
  
"Thanks Tomoyo-chan."  
  
"its no big deal. I mean that's what friends are for right? I can't believe the emperor was so cruel on you! Well at least you get to take off a few days. Well, I'll leave you to rest now. Don't get out of bed ok?!" Tomoyo said as she helped Sakura lie down and left the room.  
  
Sakura lain in bed for two hours and could not rest any more, so she decided to get up and take a small walk around. Wincing at the pain of her open wounds, she slowly got up. She put on the simple silk white robes that servants wore and walked outside, unnoticed.  
  
The sun was out and a few small clouds drifted in the sky. The temperature was hot but a light wind complemented it. A large lake was in the garden. Different colored water lilies were in full bloom as small goldfish swam in the lake. A long stone bridge stretched across it, with roofs on top providing some cool shade. Spring green bamboo and ancient trees surrounded parts of the lake. The scenery was beautiful.  
  
Sakura took in the beautiful sight and already felt herself feel better. She walked across the bridge, gazing at the lake as she past. The bridge led her to a large bamboo forest. (think of the bamboo forest in crouching tiger hidden dragon! )  
  
The bamboos stretched towards the sky, providing some shade from the sun. Golden spots of sunlight seeped through the thin green leaves, and landed on the ground, creating tunnels of light. Sakura sighed at the beauty of the sight, and began to feel tired as she walked deeper into the forest.  
  
She sat down beside a large bamboo, where a tunnel of light seeped through. She cuddled by the tree and fell into a pleasant nap.  
  
*Bamboo Forest*  
  
'Dammit!' Syaoran thought as he swung his sword with annoyance. Politics were really getting to him... and other things. ' how am I going to solve the economic problem? It was impossible to please everyone! What do the advisors expect from me?'. Giving a yell in frustration, Syaoran sliced the air with force, the power of the air for his sword sliced through 3 trees in a row.  
  
Sighing, Syaoran sat down and stabbed the sword into the ground. Sighing, he thought of last night and remembered the kiss. there was something different about it. it never happened when he had kissed anyone else. It was like a warmth that calmed and sent all his troubles away.  
  
The thought slightly soothed him as he got up and continued his training.  
*Sakura's POV*  
  
Yawning, Sakura slowly got up and studied her surroundings; it looked so unfamiliar to her!  
  
'oh no.' she looked around, trying to find something familiar that would indicate where she came from. The sun was beginning to set, streaks of sunlight were painted a red-orange.  
  
'ahh!! Why do I always get myself into these kind of situations??' Sakura thought as she moved around panicked. But after moving around for an hour, she had returned to where she originally started. The sun had almost disappeared as the moon had replaced it.  
  
'why me???' suddenly when Sakura had given up hope, she felt a presence near by, and used her best judgement to locate where the person was.  
  
Sakura stepped on to a twig, breaking it into pieces. The next events happened so quickly that Sakura only heard a swoosh, and felt a hand lock around her neck.  
AN: yep that's all for now! Sorry for the really late chap update. . I was really really busy with school *sniff* and I went into a huge writer's block x_X so yea. that's probably y this chapter is sorta.. Uh. boring ^^;; I'll make the next chapter better! But anyways, tell me what u guys think! 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura  
  
AN: YOU GUYS ARE ALLLLLLL SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!! AND I GOT SOME OF THE NICEST REVIEW I'VE EVER GOTTEN! *sniffs* T_T u guys seriously are soooooooo nice!!!!!!!! I was really planning to stop writing this fic since I was losing inspiration for it. okok.and I was lazy. but I felt soooooooo bad cause all these reviews came in. and I felt extremely guilty if I didn't continue. so here's to all those reviewers that make my day when I receive your reviews! THANKS SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!  
Threads of Destiny: Chapter 4  
  
By: Wish  
As fast as the hand had locked around her neck was as quick as the grip loosened. Sakura looked up at the figure, immediately recognizing the person. She hastily bowed down.  
  
"What the HELL are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be in your bed RESTING?" Syaoran's voice boomed extraordinarily loud in the quiet bamboo forest.  
  
Sakura winced at the loudness of the voice but didn't look up and replied,  
  
"I'm sorry, I really couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk."  
  
Syaoran's hand roughly cupped Sakura's face and lifted it up so that it faced him.  
  
"Do you know what the punishment for not obeying the emperor's orders are:???" he said as his amber eyes blazed.  
  
The fear in Sakura instantly flushed away and was replaced by anger. 'how dare he treat me this way? Even if I am jut a peasant girl and he is the emperor. It still doesn't give him the right to use his strength on a girl.' Without the slightest bit of fear in her voice, and a hint of anger in her eyes she replied,  
  
"death."  
  
Syaoran felt slightly taken aback by the bravery of the girl but replied,  
  
"Are you not afraid of death?"  
  
"No" Sakura replied without a bit of hesitation in her voice.  
  
Syaoran raised his eyebrows. 'this was different for a change..'  
  
"Really? Then are you afraid of Pain?" Syaoran said as he put more pressure on Sakura's neck.  
  
Sakura winced slightly choking sensation but only replied,  
  
"I am but a peasant girl, and you are the emperor of all China. No matter what the pain I feel, my pain cannot change your order."  
  
Syaoran stared into the determined emerald eyes, bewildered. He let go of her and ordered her to stand up.  
  
"You are lucky, I will let you go this time." Syaoran said as they both headed back to the palace.  
"Sakura-Chan!! Where were you?? Everyone was so worried! I can't believe you just wandered off like that!" Tomoyo said with a worried look on her face.  
  
Sakura smiled but shakily sat down. She had no idea how she had the courage to stand up to the Emperor!!  
  
"What happened?" Tomoyo asked  
  
"Well. I was in the bamboo forest-  
  
Sakura was suddenly interrupted by the Wei.  
  
"Miss Sakura! The emperor is calling for you. he wants you to accompany him to bed (.okok I know what u all r thinking.. Just some background info: emperors had hundreds of concubines, he's always allowed to have multiple girls accompany him.).  
  
Sakura's eyes widened. 'what? I thought I gave him a bad impression!'  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Sakura followed Wei into the Emperor's chambers where Syaoran sat at his table concentrating on a book. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration and didn't even notice that they had come in.  
  
Wei coughed a few times before he finally caught Syaoran's attention.  
  
Syaoran gave a wave of his hand and Wei left leaving Sakura standing by herself.  
  
Sakura stood looking down, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.  
  
"are you just going to stand there??" Syaoran asked rudely.  
  
Sakura lifted up her head a little lost. 'what am I doing here? Please tell me it's not what I think.' Sakura thought as she turned a shade paler.  
  
Syaoran studied Sakura and did not miss the fact that she had paled a shade. He laughed inwardly and almost lost his usual cool outside. 'She has no idea what she's doing.' Syaoran coughed and motioned slightly to his robe. (Emperors had servants to do everything.including undressing)  
  
Sakura caught the slight motion towards the robe and made a small gulp. She stepped closer to Syaoran until finally she was finally engulfed in his musky scent. Her small delicate fingers started to unbutton the robe.  
  
Syaoran couldn't help but smirk at how nervous she was.  
  
Shakily, Sakura finally finished unbuttoning the buttons and from the back gently removed the robe. Her eyes widened as she saw a huge scar on Syaoran's back. She gently fingered the scar mark and stopped suddenly after she realized what she was doing and instantly reddened while mentally slapping herself.  
  
Syaoran took in a sharp breathe at the touch but still remained stoic on the outside. He didn't know if it was from her touch or the pain that ran through his back but remained silent.  
  
Embarrassed, Sakura quickly took the sleeping robe and draped it over Syaoran's back and began buttoning it up. Sakura was blushing, 'ahh. I can't believe I did that!! I've never even seen Aki like this before.' another voice interrupted,  
  
'you know it was because he was hot!' at this thought, Sakura brightened a few more shades.  
  
Syaoran didn't miss Sakura's reaction and smiled to himself.  
  
Syaoran nonchalantly yawned and got into his bed, moving all the way into the bed making room for another body.  
  
Sakura stared into his amber colored eyes and couldn't believe what she was supposed to do.  
  
'ahhh. I can't believe this!' she drew in a sharp breath but finally blew out the candle and slipped into his bed.  
  
Syaoran smirked and laughed inwardly but expressed nothing.  
  
Although Sakura didn't know it, it was the first time Syaoran didn't make a move with a woman he wanted.and he always got what he wanted.  
  
Sakura avoided sharing the blanket and was on the edge of the bed as possible and had to balance herself from falling off. Syaoran noticed it but, for once, was considerate and didn't make a move toward her.  
  
Slowly Sakura fell asleep and shivered from the cold wind. Syaoran put the blanket over her and inched toward her. Still shivering from the cold, Syaoran wrapped his arm around her waist, and almost instantly Sakura stopped shivering, and put her head on Syaoran's chest.  
  
Their breaths became heavier as they both fell into a deep sleep.  
Should I write more?  
Nah. wahaha  
Yes I'm evil  
AN: Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnn *music* and their relationship develops! How'd you guys like it?? ^^ Review Review!! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS -_-;;  
  
AU: thank you all for you wonderful support! Sorry for the very late update. hehe. I was really busy.(or lazy. -_-*), neways! Heres the fourth chap. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! XD for ur reviews and support (again ^^;).  
  
Threads of Destiny  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
By: Wish  
  
Syaoran woke to the smell of cherry blossoms, and a soft breath on his chest. His arms were wrapped around a petite figure with auburn hair and a slight frown on her face. Syaoran gently unwrapped his arms from Sakura and quickly got dressed.  
  
Syaoran sighed softly, as he thought,  
  
'another day at court. I never have fun anymore.' he glanced at Sakura's sleeping figure and smirked,  
  
'maybe the fun is just about to begin.' Taking one last look at the auburn- haired beauty, he left the room.  
  
Sakura gently stirred from her puzzling dream. Her body suddenly felt like it was missing something. She felt herself slightly shiver at the wind that blew through the open window. The oncoming winter was going to be a cold one.  
  
Sakura's dream had been strange. She had dreamed about Aki at first, but as she had tried to touch his cheek, the Aki had turned into someone else. She could only remember that the person had burning amber eyes. (hehe. like that wasn't obvious enough. ^^;)  
  
Suddenly snapping out of her trance, Sakura got dressed and was somewhat happy to find that the emperor was no where in sight. She put on a plain mint green robe and put her long auburn hair into a braid with a few wisps of hair falling loose around her face.  
  
Sakura then happily skipped to the main kitchen of the palace and smiled as she saw Tomoyo-Chan there already.  
  
"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"Ohayo Sakura! How was yesterday?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"um. er. it was okay.I guess." Sakura said as a pink blush stained her creamy skin.  
  
A mischeivious smile appeared on Tomoyo's lips.  
  
"You guys didn't do anything did you?"  
  
Sakura turned a few shades redder as she shook her head fervently.  
  
"Of course not!!! All we did was sleep on the same bed together! And I was as far away from him as possible!"  
  
Tomoyo laughed at Sakura's awkward position, and soon Sakura joined in as they continued their daily work.  
  
Meilin POV  
  
"Where the HELL was he last night?!" Meilin thought out loud. The door to her very spacious room opened as one of the servants kneeled in front of her.  
  
"Where was the emperor last night?!" Meilin asked the servant girl in a loud voice.  
  
The girl trembled in trepidation at Lady Meilin's angry voice and remained stunned in her position to say anything.  
  
"WELL!?!!!"  
  
Finally the girl snapped out of her frozen state and replied in a weak and trembling voice,  
  
"t-t-the emperor was uh in h-h-his room last night." A dull smack landed across the girl's face, a red handprint was imprinted on her face.  
  
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW! WHAT WAS HE DOING DAMMIT!?"  
  
the girl held back tears from the stinging pain and managed to reply,  
  
"h-h-h-he was with one of his new servants."  
  
Meilin's eyes narrowed as her anger reached a peak at the thought that some worthless slut was with her Syaoran last night. Meilin had prepared the best of wines and food for them. She had waited for Syaoran the whole night for him to show up, but he hadn't.  
  
Oh what she wanted to do to the wrench that had slept with him. A cruel smile was present on her face. It wasn't as if she had never gotten rid of her other rivals before.  
  
Turning to the girl on the ground Meilin said,  
  
"Suiren (the girl's name), bring me that girl to me right now. And by the way, what was her name again?"  
  
"Her name was Sakura Kinomoto. I'll get her right away." Suiren said this as she hurried out the room to summon the girl.  
  
Sakura was washing the dirty dishes when a girl had come to get her. The girl had short black hair, and large, brown, almond-shaped eyes.  
  
"Sakura Kinomoto?" she asked.  
  
"Hai? Is there something you need?" Sakura asked as she gave a smile to the girl.  
  
"Um. Lady Meilin wants to see you." The girl replied.  
  
"See me?" Sakura asked bewildered. "But, I'm new here!"  
  
"Yes, she wanted to see you for just a few minutes."  
  
Sakura quickly wiped her fingers on a cloth, and followed the girl to see Lady Meilin.  
  
Sakura finally reached the door of entrance of Lady Meilin's place.  
  
"This is her palace, Lady Meilin will be waiting for you inside." Suiren said quietly.  
  
Sakura gave a small smile as she stepped into the room. At the end of the room there was a little space where it contained the Lady's bed. Walls of red silk cascaded around the bed, and Sakura could only see a silhouette of the person in on the bed. Sakura kneeled down near the bed and said,  
  
"Lady Meilin, you requested me?"  
  
A sugar coated voice replied,  
  
"Yes, I did, I heard your one of the emperor's new favorites." Sakura shifted uncomfortably. Although Lady Meilin's voice sounded sweet, the edge of malice in it did not escape Sakura.  
  
"Lady Meilin, your too kind! Everyone knows that the emperor's favorite is you. Even I, a new comer would know that."  
  
A small smile appeared on Meilin's lips, a little relieved from what the girl had said.  
  
"Then what do you feel about the Emperor?" Sakura felt the tension mount again. This Lady Meilin seemed VERY protective of the emperor, and Sakura was not stupid to see why.  
  
"the emperor is only a stranger to me. I don't know him nearly as well as you, and I don't think he really pays attention to me either." Sakura answered calmly and truthfully.  
  
The silhouette behind the silk curtains seemed to have relieved a great amount of tension, as she feigned a yawn.  
  
"I'm tired now, please leave me to have my rest." Sakura eagerly got up from her kneeling position and took a small bow as she left the room.  
  
** outside**  
  
Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she cheerfully stretched. Her legs were sore from kneeling for so long and her eyes squinted, trying to adjust to the bright light.  
  
Suddenly a strong arm grabbed her by the waist and a hand clamped over her mouth. Her eyes snapped shut as she tried to let out a scream. But the hand covered the noise. Her body tried to struggle against the other but it was no use. She felt her back press against a wall as she slowly opened her eyes.  
  
It was a small dark secluded area. The only light that was provided was through a large crack. The stone walls surrounded Sakura. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light as she saw only the shadow of a person.  
  
She felt another urge to scream, but before she could, the figure started,  
  
"Sakura, it's me." The voice sounded familiar. Slowly, Sakura saw his blond hair and blue eyes. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Aki!!!" Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears, as she felt his arms wrap around her.  
  
"Sakura, I missed you so much. Come and escape with me!" their lips met passionately, but for some reason, Sakura felt the kiss didn't seem as good as she thought it would feel. She didn't feel the spark like she did the times she dreamed about their kisses.  
  
Sakura quickly dismissed the thought and said softly,  
  
"Aki.you know I can't."  
  
Aki stood silent.  
  
"Then maybe I was wrong to come here." His cold voice pierced through the silence.  
  
"Aki please! Its for your own safety!" Sakura pleaded.  
  
"No, you just think that the palace is better than the poor life that I can offer. I thought you loved me."  
  
Sakura winced at his tone of voice.  
  
"You know that's not true!" Sakura replied, beginning to think this was some sort of cruel nightmare.  
  
Aki stood silent for another few moments looking down at Sakura with his frozen blue eyes, before turning without warning and jumping over the tall roof, leaving Sakura alone.  
  
Sakura felt her heart ache painfully as tears flowed out of her eyes with no control.  
  
** Emperor's study**  
  
' The hell with the officials! The hell with the damn Mongols! And the hell with this life!' Syaoran thought as he wore a heavy scowl on his face.  
  
He was stressed obviously. There was no doubt about it. The Mongols had refuses his hand of truce, which would be a big problem, because it was any moment before they started attacking his country.  
  
Syaoran had always loved his country, in fact, there was nothing else he loved more, or learned to love more. While people in his life come and go, his country had always stood by his side. He never surrendered any part of his heart to any person, only to his country. In truth, his country was really just a reflection of himself and his own blood and flesh. Syaoran had learned that you can never depend on other people, only use them, and depend on your self.  
  
'I need a stress reliever.' Syaoran thought as he smirked, as he got up and walked towards, Meilin's room.  
  
Just as he stepped out of his room, he saw Sakura walking past the outer doorway of his palace. Rethinking what he had planned, he hurried up his pace to catch up with her instead.  
  
"Kinomoto! Slow down, dammit." Syaoran said, halting Sakura's hasty steps.  
  
The auburn haired girl, instantly stopped and stared at the ground, trying to hide her shed tears. She heard Syaoran's steps finally in front of her, as she felt her heart beating rapidly, partly because of nervousness, and partly from something else she couldn't define.  
  
"Still shy I see." Syaoran's voice was amused with a layer of taunting. (that was such bad grammer. -.- plz ignore). "Won't you sometimes just look up and show your beautiful face?"  
  
Sakura blushed slightly, but refused to look up. It was so embarrassing to show her tears!  
  
"Your majesty, is there anything I can do for you?" Sakura managed to say.  
  
'She doesn't understand anything does she?" Syaoran thought as he smirked.  
  
Syaoran gently lifted Sakura's face so that it faced his tall figure. Sakura felt a shock through her body at his touch, and had a great urge to run away and hide somewhere.  
  
Syaoran was very surprised to see that Sakura had tears in her emerald colored eyes, and that her eyes were slightly swollen. Even despite that, she was still the most beautiful girl he had seen. A soft pink blush was on her face, and the tears in her eyes seemed to make her eyes look more beautiful than ever.  
  
"Why are you crying?" Syaoran asked, his voice was not gentle, but it lacked the coldness it usually contained.  
  
Sakura felt her heart beat faster and faster, as her lip quivered slightly.  
  
"R-r-really, it's nothing." She managed to say as she felt a stab of guilt, lying to the emperor.  
  
"Oh really?" Syaoran said as he raised an eyebrow in doubt. Sakura remained silent, not knowing what to say. For some reason, she always felt nervous when she was around him, but dismissed it as just another unknown power of the Emperor of China.  
  
Silently, Syaoran took out a soft handkerchief.  
  
"Here you'll need this to dry out your eyes. It's such a waste of God's blessings when you waste your beauty on crying."  
  
Sakura blushed as she gratefully took the handkerchief and dried her eyes. She could not help a smile, which was not missed by Syaoran, who in return smiled as well.  
  
'Did he just smile?' Sakura stared at Syaoran in disbelief.  
  
"You know it's rude to stare." Syaoran said as his very small smile turned into a smirk.  
  
Embarrassed, Sakura quickly handed the handkerchief back, but the emperor replied,  
  
"no need, just keep it. We should be heading back."  
  
Sakura nodded as she followed Syaoran back to the main hall, as the pair walked in comfortable silence.  
  
AN: Sooooooooo how'd you guys like it? I tried to make this chap pretty long cause I felt pretty bad for not updating. uh. in like half a year. +_+ *cough. sorry!!! . anyways. tell me what you guys think! Really reviews mean a lot to an author! Its really a lot of motivation. I think I'm gonna upload my next chap by the end of this week cause I'm going on vacation and plus I have new inspiration! ^o^ yayyy! Hehehe. whats gonna happen? Since I haven't updated in so long. I dunno how well this fits with all the other chaps lol. Review!!!!! XD 


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